Your decision to choose a practice management software is one of the most important decisions you will face as a practice owner or manager.  It ranks right up there with your decision to start your own practice or to have a partner.  In a sense you are partnering up with your software provider by entrusting them with a very important aspect of your business with the hopes that they have your best interests in mind.

On this episode of the Funcitonal Freedom Podcast I interview my good friend Tom Kruse about his personal experience of leading his company in the selection and implementation of their practice software.  You won’t want to miss his advice on using a team to select your practice software.  It is a honest and open discussion about his personal journey as a new practice owner.  Tom shares his  failures right along with successes.

For the new practice owner or manager there are so many factors to analyze when considering the pros and cons of each software system.  There are a several questions that need to be asked when choosing the best system for your practice.  For starters:

• What kind of software do we prefer? Server based or Cloud based,
• What are the essential features that we really need?  What features are our highest priority?
• What can we afford?   What is our budget for this type of investment?
• What is the quality of the technical support?

As a rule software vendors are pretty good at “selling you” on their system so it is always good to hear from someone who has been there before.  Tom shares the importance of thoroughly checking out references especially those practices of a similar size and philosophy.  During the interview you will hear Tom emphasize the importance of including others in your decision making process.

We feel it is very important to use a team when selecting your practice software for 3 important reasons:

1. It is part of a complex proces
2. It is part of a change process
3. It is part of a care process

In this episode,  here’s what we’ll cover:

• What to do when you don’t know what you are doing

• The importance of assessing your staff’s tech aptitude

• What to do when you realize you’ve made a mistake

• Server based software verses Cloud based software

• Tips on transitioning your staff from one system to the next

• The importance of a business peer group or mentoring group

Items mentioned in this episode include:

• The Advantage by Patrick Lencioni

• The Table Group

What has been your experience in selecting a practice software system?